Golf club with improved weighting

ABSTRACT

A plurality of two or more golf clubs with improved weighting characteristics is disclosed. More specifically, the present invention discloses a specific relationship between the mass M club  of the golf club and the length L club  to help improve the performance of the golf club.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a set of golf clubs withimproved weighting characteristics. More specifically, the presentinvention relates a plurality of two or more golf clubs that createsincreases in mass as the clubs get shorter in length. This inverserelationship between the length of the club and the mass of the clubhelps improve the performance of the set of golf club heads by creatinga lighter softer shaft for longer golf clubs while creating a heavierstiffer shaft for shorter irons. The present invention achieves this byfocusing its attention on adjusting the mass of the shaft portion of thegolf club to create the desired results. However, it should be notedthat because the shaft is ultimately only a component of a golf club,the focus of the present invention is directed at a golf club withimproved weighting.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A golf club contains several key components, all of which can affect theoverall performance of a golf club head. Although most golf clubimprovements focus on the club head portion of the golf club,significant improvements can be made to other portions of the golf clubas well.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,175,538 to Miller illustrates one of these examples ofimprovements to other portions of the golf club head by focusing itsattention on the grip of the golf club. U.S. Pat. No. 7,175,538 providesa golf club grip having the diameter of the grip progressively reducedfrom one the butt end to the opposing end.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,721 to Johnson et al. illustrates another example ofan improvement to a golf club head by focusing on the ferrule of thegolf club. U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,721 provides a ferrule for a golf clubthat has at least one raised element with a top surface and a secondmember molded about the first member to surround the raised element toprovide logo display or indicia.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,422 to Honma provides an example of an improvementto the shaft portion of the golf club head. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,422the inventor taught a shaft for golf club which can exhibit a vibrationcharacteristic of a steel shaft without imparting the characteristics ofa carbon shaft. The inventor does this by creating metal fibersincorporated in an outer layer portion of a carbon shaft with a specificdirection of metal fiber orientation.

The present invention focuses on improving the performance of the golfclub itself by adjusting, among many other factors, the shaft portion ofthe golf club. It utilizes a very specific relationship between thelength of the golf club together with the overall mass of the golf clubto create a set of golf club with improved performance throughout theentire set of golf clubs.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention is a golf club comprising of aclub head located at a distal end of said golf club, a grip located at aproximal end of said golf club, and a shaft, juxtaposed between the clubhead and the grip, connecting the club head to the grip, wherein themass M_(club) of the golf club decreases with an increase in a lengthL_(club) of said golf club in accordance with the relationship,M_(club)≧−20.691 L_(club)+1201.5.

In another aspect of the present invention is a plurality of golf clubscomprising of a first golf club having a length greater than about 38inches having a first mass, a second golf club having a length ofbetween about 36 to 38 inches having a second mass, and a third golfclub having a length of less than about 36 inches having a third mass,wherein the first mass is less than the second mass and the second massis less than the third mass, and wherein said first, second, and thirdgolf club all have individual shafts that have a mass that satisfies theequation M_(shaft)≧20.691 L_(shaft)+347.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with references to the followingdrawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will beapparent from the following description of the invention as illustratedin the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings, which areincorporated herein and form a part of the specification, further serveto explain the principles of the invention and to enable a personskilled in the pertinent art to make and use the invention.

FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawing shows a perspective view of long-irongolf club shaft in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawings shows a perspective view of amid-iron golf club shaft in accordance with an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 3 of the accompanying drawings shows a perspective view of ashort-iron golf club shaft in accordance with an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 4 of the accompanying drawings shows a perspective view of along-iron, a mid-iron, and a short-iron shaft, all in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the present invention, all next to one another;and

FIG. 5 of the accompanying drawings shows a perspective view of threegolf clubs within a set of golf clubs complete with individualcomponents such as the golf club head, the golf club shaft, and the golfclub grip.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplatedmodes of carrying out the invention. The description is not to be takenin a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustratingthe general principles of the invention, since the scope of theinvention is best defined by the appended claims.

Various inventive features are described below that can each be usedindependently of one another or in combination with other features.However, any single inventive feature may not address any or all of theproblems discussed above or may only address one of the problemsdiscussed above. Further, one or more of the problems discussed abovemay not be fully addressed by any of the features described below.

Due to the fact that one of the ways the present invention achieves theimprovement in overall club performance improvements by adjusting themass M_(shaft) of the golf club shaft as a function of the lengthL_(shaft) of the shaft, the discussion below will begin by focusing onthe shaft portion of the golf club. However, because the overallperformance of the golf club is what the present invention is ultimatelyfocused on, the latter portion of this discussion will then shift tofocus on the length L_(club) of the golf club and the mass M_(club) ofthe golf club.

One of the ways to achieve the desired overall club mass is by adjustingthe mass M_(shaft) of the shaft as the length L_(shaft) of the shaftchanges. More specifically, the present invention creates a veryspecific relationship between the M_(shaft) and the L_(shaft) thatcreates an increase in the golf club mass M_(shaft) as the lengthL_(shaft) decreases.

FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a perspective view of a golfclub shaft 100 of a long-iron in accordance with an exemplary embodimentof the present invention. The present invention, in order to improve theperformance of a golf club via the golf club shaft 100, has created aspecific relationship between a length L_(shaft) of the golf club shaft100 as a function to the mass M_(shaft) of the golf club shaft 100. Morespecifically, the relationship created between the length L_(shaft) ofthe golf club shaft 100 and the mass of the golf club shaft 100 isinversed, meaning a decrease in the length L_(shaft) of the golf clubshaft 100 will equate to an increase in the mass M_(shaft) of the golfclub shaft 100. In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention,this inverse relationship between the length L_(shaft) and the massM_(shaft) can be quantified by equation (1) below:

M _(shaft)≧−6 L _(shaft)+347   Eq. (1)

In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the long-iron golfclub shaft 100 may have a length L_(shaft) of about 40.5 inches and massM_(shaft) of greater than about 104 grams. In another exemplaryembodiment of the present invention, the long-iron golf club shaft 100may have a length L_(shaft) of about 40 inches and a mass M_(shaft) ofgreater than about 107 grams. In another exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, the long-iron golf club shaft 100 may have a lengthL_(shaft) of about 39.5 inches and a mass M_(shaft) of greater thanabout 110 grams. In another exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, the long-iron golf club shaft 100 may have a length L_(shaft)of about 39 inches and a mass M_(shaft) of greater than about 113 grams.

In order to achieve the relationship between shaft length L_(shaft) andmass M_(shaft) above, the present invention utilizes different internaland external shaft profiles to help achieve this goal. In the currentexemplary embodiment, section 101 may have an outer diameter of about0.60 in, section 102 may have an outer diameter of about 0.59 in,section 104 may have an outer diameter of about 0.575 in, section 106may have an outer diameter of about 0.56 in, section 108 may have anouter diameter of about 0.545 in, section 110 may have an outer diameterof about 0.530 in, section 112 may have an outer diameter of about 0.515in, section 114 may have an outer diameter of about 0.500 in, section116 may have an outer diameter of about 0.485 in, section 118 may havean outer diameter of about 0.470 in, section 120 may have an outerdiameter of about 0.450 in, section 122 may have an outer diameter ofabout 0.430 in, section 124 may have an outer diameter of about 0.410in, section 126 may have an outer diameter of about 0.395 in, andsection 128 may have an outer diameter that tapers at a rate of about0.0075 in/in until the shaft 100 reaches an outer diameter of about0.355 inches.

Finally, it should be noted here that the outer profile of the golf clubshaft 100 is stepped in its outer diameter profile, which can helpprovide the amount of mass adjustment needed for the current invention.However, the outer profiles of the golf club shaft 100 can becontinuously tapered, parallel, or any other geometry or even alternatematerials all without departing from the scope and content of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawings shows a perspective view of a golfclub shaft 200 of a mid-iron in accordance with an exemplary embodimentof the present invention. The mid-irons, similar to long-irons, have aninverse relationship between the length L_(shaft) and the mass M_(shaft)resulting in a similar relationship established above in Equation (1).In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the mid-iron golfclub shaft 200 may have a length L_(shaft) of about 38.5 inches and massM_(shaft) of greater than about 116 grams. In another exemplaryembodiment of the present invention, the mid-iron golf club shaft 200may have a length L_(shaft) of about 38 inches and a mass M_(shaft) ofgreater than about 119 grams. In another exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, the mid-iron golf club shaft 200 may have a lengthL_(shaft) of about 37.5 inches and a mass M_(shaft) of greater thanabout 122 grams.

In order to achieve the relationship between shaft length L_(shaft) andmass M_(shaft) above, the present invention may have a section 201 withan outer diameter of about 0.600 in, a section 202 with an outerdiameter of about 0.585 in, a section 204 with an outer diameter ofabout 0.568 in, a section 206 with an outer diameter of about 0.553 in,a section 208 with an outer diameter of about 0.538 in, a section 210with an outer diameter of about 0.523 in, a section 212 with an outerdiameter of about 0.508, a section 214 with an outer diameter of about0.493 in, a section 216 with an outer diameter of about 0.478 in, asection 218 with an outer diameter of about 0.463 in, a section 220 withan outer diameter of about 0.445 in, a section 222 with an outerdiameter of about 0.430 in, a section 224 with an outer diameter ofabout 0.410 in, a section 226 with an outer diameter of about 0.395 in,and section 228 may have an outer diameter that tapers a rate of about0.0075 in/in until the shaft 200 reaches an outer diameter of about0.355 inches.

FIG. 3 of the accompanying drawings shows a perspective view of a golfclub shaft 300 of a short-iron in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention. The short-irons, similar tolong-irons and mid-irons, have an inverse relationship between thelength L_(shaft) and the mass M_(shaft) resulting in a similarrelationship established above in Equation (1). In one exemplaryembodiment of the present invention, the short-iron golf club shaft 300may have a length L_(shaft) of about 37.0 inches and mass M_(shaft) ofgreater than about 125 grams. In another exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, the short-iron golf club shaft 300 may have a lengthL_(shaft) of about 36.5 inches and a mass M_(shaft) of greater thanabout 128 grams.

In order to achieve the relationship between shaft length L_(shaft) andmass M_(shaft) above, the present invention may have a section 301 withan outer diameter of about 0.580 in, a section 302 with an outerdiameter of about 0.560 in, a section 304 with an outer diameter ofabout 0.545 in, a section 306 with an outer diameter of about 0.530 in,a section 308 with an outer diameter of about 0.515 in, a section 310with an outer diameter of about 0.500 in, a section 312 with an outerdiameter of about 0.485, a section 314 with an outer diameter of about0.470 in, a section 316 with an outer diameter of about 0.445 in, asection 318 with an outer diameter of about 0.440 in, a section 320 withan outer diameter of about 0.425 in, a section 322 with an outerdiameter of about 0.410 in, a section 324 with an outer diameter ofabout 0.395 in, a section 226 with an outer diameter of about 0.395 in,and section 328 may have an outer diameter that tapers a rate of about0.0075 in/in until the shaft 300 reaches an outer diameter of about0.355 inches.

FIG. 4 of the accompanying drawings shows a perspective view of allthree of the shafts discussed earlier, the long-iron shaft 100, themid-iron shaft 200, and the short-iron shaft 300 next to one another foran illustration of the relative length of one another.

Finally, returning to the discussion regarding the golf club itself,FIG. 5 of the accompanying drawings shows a perspective view of allthree golf club shafts 100, 200, and 300 being connected to theirrespective components. This illustration will bring the entire inventiontogether in establishing a relationship between the overall club lengthL_(club) of the golf clubs 107, 207, and 307 and the overall club massM_(club) can be established. It is important to establish thecriticality of the discussion focusing on the overall club mass M_(club)as well as the overall club length L_(club) because that specificrelationship is the one that controls performance. Returning to FIG. 5we can see that the overall club mass M_(club) as well as the overallclub length L_(club) are all functions of three main components, theclub head 103, 203 and 303, the shaft 100, 200, and 300, as well as thegrip 105, 205, and 305. Taking into consideration of these components,the following relationship can be established as shown by Equation (2)below:

M _(club)≧−20.691 L_(club)+1201.5   Eq. (2)

In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention the golf clubs 107,207, and 307 may have a length L_(club) of about 39 inches and massM_(club) of greater than about 396 grams. In another exemplaryembodiment of the present invention, invention the golf clubs 107, 207,and 307 may have a length L_(club) of about 38.5 inches and massM_(club) of greater than about 405 grams. In another exemplaryembodiment of the present invention, invention the golf clubs 107, 207,and 307 may have a length L_(club) of about 38 inches and mass M_(club)of greater than about 415 grams. In another exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, invention the golf clubs 107, 207, and 307 may have alength L_(club) of about 37.5 inches and mass M_(club) of greater thanabout 424 grams. In another exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, invention the golf clubs 107, 207, and 307 may have a lengthL_(club) of about 37 inches and mass M_(club) of greater than about 435grams. In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention,invention the golf clubs 107, 207, and 307 may have a length L_(club) ofabout 36.5 inches and mass M_(club) of greater than about 446 grams. Inanother exemplary embodiment of the present invention, invention thegolf clubs 107, 207, and 307 may have a length L_(club) of about 36inches and mass M_(club) of greater than about 456 grams. In anotherexemplary embodiment of the present invention, invention the golf clubs107, 207, and 307 may have a length L_(club) of about 35.75 inches andmass M_(club) of greater than about 464 grams.

Based on the above, it can be seen that if you have a plurality of twoor more of golf clubs in a set of golf clubs, there will be arelationship established between the mass M_(club) and the overall clublength L_(club) such that the longer clubs will be lighter while theshorter clubs will be heavier. In addition to the above, although theabove discussion is directed at a set of iron type golf clubs, thisprogressive relationship could be applied across an entire set of golfclubs from a driver of up to 48 inches down to a putter down to 32inches, all without departing from the scope and content of the presentinvention.

It should be noted that although the dominant contributor to theadjustment in overall club mass M_(club) and the overall club lengthL_(club) may be the shaft mass M_(shaft) and the shaft length L_(shaft),the other components are just as important in contributing in creatingthe relationship articulated above in Equation (2). In fact, adjustmentscould be made to the club head 103, 203 and 303 as well as the grip 105,205, and 305 to achieve the relationship articulated above in Equation(2) without departing from the scope and content of the presentinvention.

Alternatively, it can be said that the present invention relates to aplurality of golf clubs having a first golf club having a length greaterthan 38 inches, a second golf club having a length of between about 36to 38 inches, and a third golf club having a length less than about 36inches. The first golf club will generally have the lightest mass with afirst mass, while the second golf club will generally have a mass thatis heavier than the first mass, with the third golf club having a thirdmass, which is greater than the first mass and the second mass.Ultimately, the specific relationship created between the mass and thelength of the golf club is beneficial in helping improve the performanceof the golf club, despite its counter-intuitive nature. Generallyspeaking, when a golf club is shorter, the mass of the golf club shaftdecreases when a uniform material shaft is trimmed. This antiquatedwisdom leaves the golf club shaft to be heaviest at higher lofts andlighter at lower lofts. The present invention improves upon thismethodology by reversing the conventional thinking with a moreperformance based design approach. In order to help golfers swing thelongest golf club in their bag the best, it is beneficial to help reducethe mass of the golf club in those longer clubs, which ultimatelyresults in an increase in the mass of the shorter irons. The presentinvention takes advantage of that unconventional methodology and hascreated a very specific relationship for those variable.

Other than in the operating example, or unless otherwise expresslyspecified, all of the numerical ranges, amounts, values and percentagessuch as those for amounts of materials, moment of inertias, center ofgravity locations, loft, draft angles, various performance ratios, andothers in the aforementioned portions of the specification may be readas if prefaced by the word “about” even though the term “about” may notexpressly appear in the value, amount, or range. Accordingly, unlessindicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in thepreceding specification and attached claims are approximations that mayvary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by thepresent invention. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit theapplication of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims,each numerical parameter should at least be construed in light of thenumber of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary roundingtechniques.

Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forththe broad scope of the invention are approximations, the numericalvalues set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely aspossible. Any numerical value, however, inherently contains certainerrors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in theirrespective testing measurements. Furthermore, when numerical ranges ofvarying scope are set forth herein, it is contemplated that anycombination of these values inclusive of the recited values may be used.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates toexemplary embodiments of the present invention and that modificationsmay be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventionas set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A golf club comprising: a club head located at adistal end of said golf club; a grip located at a proximal end of saidgolf club; and a shaft, juxtaposed between said club head and said grip,connecting said club head to said grip; wherein a mass M_(club) of saidgolf club decreases with an increase in a length L_(club) of said golfclub in accordance with the relationship, M_(club)≧−20.691L_(club)+1201.5.
 2. The golf club of claim 1, wherein said shaft isstepped.
 3. The golf club of claim 1, wherein a mass M_(shaft) of saidshaft decreases with an increase in a length L_(shaft) of said shaft inaccordance with the relationship, M_(shaft)≧−6 L_(shaft)+347.
 4. Thegolf club of claim 3, wherein said length of said golf club L_(club) isbetween 32 inches and 48 inches.
 5. A plurality of golf clubscomprising: a first golf club having a length L_(club) of greater thanabout 38 inches having a first mass, a second golf club having a lengthL_(club) of between about 36 inches to about 38 inches having a secondmass, and a third golf club having a length L_(club) of less than about36 inches having a third mass, wherein said first mass is less than saidsecond mass and said second mass is less than said third mass; andwherein said first, second, and third golf club all have individualshafts that have a mass that satisfies the equation M_(shaft)≧−6L_(shaft)+347.
 6. The plurality of golf clubs of claim 5, wherein saidfirst mass is less than about 415 grams.
 7. The plurality of golf clubsof claim 6, wherein said second mass is between about 415 grams andabout 446 grams.
 8. The plurality of golf clubs of claim 7, wherein saidthird mass is greater than about 446 grams.
 9. The plurality of golfclubs of claim 5, wherein said first mass, said second mass, and saidthird mass are all a function of said length of said first, second, orthird golf club in accordance with the relationship, M_(club)≧−20.691L_(club)+1201.5.
 10. The plurality of golf clubs of claim 9, said shaftis stepped.
 11. The plurality of golf clubs of claim 9, wherein saidfirst golf club further comprises a first shaft, said first shaft has 15sections; wherein each section has a decrease in outer diameter.